Chantal Akerman Collection Vol.1: 1967-1978 (Limited Edition 5-Disc Blu-ray Box Set)

Born in Brussels in 1950 to parents who had survived the Holocaust, Chantal Akerman directed more than 40 films (short, medium and feature-length) over almost 50 years, spanning fiction, documentary, musical comedy and literary adaptation. Today, she is regarded as one of the most important and influential directors of her generation. Akerman’s personal, non-conformist body of work has resonated with cinephiles globally and become increasingly relevant since her death in 2015, with filmmakers including Joanna Hogg (The Eternal Daughter), Céline Sciamma (Petite Maman), Alice Diop (Saint Omer) and Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), among others, citing her radical and experimental approach to cinema as a direct inspiration.

Although best known for her landmark second narrative feature, Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), which topped the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time Poll in 2022 (becoming the first female-directed film to take the number one spot since the poll’s inception in 1952), Akerman never stopped rebelling, continuously experimenting throughout her career to challenge the formal and narrative boundaries of film.

The films:

• INSAS entrance exam films: Bruxelles 1&2, Knokke 1&2 (1967)
• Saute ma ville (1968)
• ’Enfant aimé ou Je joue à être une femme mariée (1971)
• La Chambre (1972)
• Hôtel Monterey (1972)
• Hanging Out Yonkers (1973)
• Le 15/8 (1973)
• Je tu il elle (1974)
• Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
• News From Home (1976)
• Les Rendez-vous d’Anna (1978)